Letters to the editor for Friday, June 6, 2008

The Republican Six who overrode Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of the transportation bill look even more forward-thinking today.

The closing of the U.S. Hwy. 43 bridge across the Mississippi River in Winona -- on the heels of closures in St. Cloud and Duluth -- makes it painfully obvious that this state is in serious need of leadership in transportation funding.

Pawlenty's veto was not leadership, and the Republicans who did not join the six share his lack of vision for a safe and efficient transportation grid.

RALPH WYMAN, MINNEAPOLIS

The attorney general will benefit from leadership and managerial coaching. The June 4 editorial is an effective public service. In fact, your advice reminds me of the editorial "coaching" you provided then-Gov. Jesse Ventura several years ago.

Perhaps Attorney General Lori Swanson would benefit from reading several books by the late Peter Drucker.

JAMES H. ANDERL, ST. PAUL

I vividly remember the big sign in the front of our history class: "I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it! -- Voltaire."

Could the writer of the May 31 letter lamenting the death of the First Amendment have been right?

GIRTS JATNIEKS, MINNEAPOLIS

A love for the south? So the Bloomington High School kids just wanted to pretend to be rebels -- like their heroes, those crazy Duke boys -- but then wanted to go back to being conformists and participate in the ceremony with the rest of the school? Can't have it both ways, kids.

I'm curious about exactly what parts of "the southern lifestyle" they're so fond of -- underfunded public schools perhaps?

KARL HERBER, MINNEAPOLIS

Odd reading of history "The Confederate flag was in Confederate battles and it had nothing to do with slavery."

Wow, I had no idea the quality of public education has deteriorated to the level that a high-school student, about to graduate, would make that statement.

The Bloomington Kennedy principal did the right thing regarding the three young men, but he forgot to withhold the diploma of the young lady who made that statement. They should all be sent to remedial social studies as well.

ANNE THOM, STANCHFIELD, MINN.

STEVEN LUISI, GOLDEN VALLEY

I see that some Republicans are upset with some of the jokes that Al Franken has made, but I have a hard time taking their complaints seriously.

They were upset about jokes he told at a feminist event and a Human Rights Campaign dinner, but I couldn't help but think that if Republicans even attended those events they would probably be threatened with expulsion from the party.

They were upset about a joke he made about Janet Reno, but I remembered all the things that Republicans said about her that were much worse.

Then I remembered the Republicans' choice of Karl Rove as their keynote speaker at their state convention. They claimed to be appalled by Franken's jokes and then they choose a speaker who in 2000 orchestrated a campaign that implied that John McCain fathered an illegitimate black baby.

DOUGLAS STENE, LAKEVILLE

Judge him by his words Franken's not sexist? With the revelations of his ugly "satirical" writings, it has become obvious where his direction is pointed. Please note the absence of his "satire" about the male gender.

His demeaning of women is indefensible, even as his supporters use his long-term writing in that regard in an effort to diffuse the issue. The 30 years he has been doing this only exacerbates his shameful behavior.

All the women in my life -- ah, heck, all women -- need to reject his definition of satire and call it what it is: sexism.

ELWOOD NARUM, BURNSVILLE

Tell me, Mr. Levy, how history would have dealt with President Franklin Roosevelt if a few of the 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were interned were free to assist an invasion of the United States?

While the Japanese were revving up their airplanes on Dec. 7, 1941, they also had a top government representative in Washington "sweet-talking" our government leaders. Not a way to build trust toward the Japanese.

The interned Japanese-Americans were not mistreated. There was very little complaining by those people when they were released. They seemed to understand and appeared to forgive.

Roosevelt had a hard choice to make. He did what he thought best. Aren't you glad it wasn't your choice to make?